|
| This is the first year I have seen significant winter damage on my roses since I moved to the mountains. It is also the first year that the snow stayed on the ground for more than a couple of days at my elevation. So, I am trying to figure out what I am seeing and what I am going to do for spring pruning when spring arrives. We are going through our annual false spring, in that the temps have warmed up and the roses look like they are coming out of dormancy, but I've gardened here long enough to know that any new growth that appears now, will be frozen again in a couple of weeks. Winter is not over. No, the forsythia has not even begun to bloom. The roses showing damage are not necessarily showing damage at the tips of the canes .. the typical die back, but I am seeing canes that look healthy above and below totally dessicated sections of cane. Huh ? I cannot figure out why there would be healthy growth above these damaged areas of the cane. I've also noticed that the newest canes from the base of the plants have been hardest hit and look the least viable. Should they be taken off at the base ? I don't know. No, I don't have wind issues in this garden, but the garden is located at the bottom of a slope and I know cold air moves down the slope and is trapped between the house and the slope. Is this having some kind of impact ? Do I take this window of false spring to removed diseased or what I think is dead wood or wait until true spring ? In other words, because this is new to me, I am asking those of you who have more experience with winter damage on your roses to help me see the best way to help my roses as to when and how I prune. All suggestions are very welcome. Smiles, |
Follow-Up Postings:
|
- Posted by mad_gallica Z5 Eastern NY (My Page) on Fri, Feb 8, 13 at 11:12
| Intact canes have enough stored energy to leaf out independent of any input from the roots. That's how cuttings work. The canes leaf out, then run out of resources and die. In my climate, the usual cause of this is canker damage. That isn't what your problem sounds like, but the end result is the same. Younger canes are often less able to handle adversity than older ones. Yes, they will have to go. Here, with many plants there is an idea that keeping the dead wood attached helps to prevent more damage further down, so pruning anything but severely broken canes during a winter thaw wouldn't be done. |
|
| I wouldn't prune yet. Wait until your normal pruning time. Cutting back now may just cause further winter die back. You want to keep as much of that stored cane energy as you can until real spring arrives. |
|
- Posted by roseblush1 8a/Sunset 7 (My Page) on Fri, Feb 8, 13 at 22:57
| Thank you both. Since I've never had to deal with this issue in the past, I just didn't trust myself to know what to do. This is the hardest part of the rose year for me in that I can see where I want to do some pruning cuts and it's warm enough to be working outside, but it's the wrong time to prune. Oh, well. The garden is supposed to teach us patience. This is my learning period. Smiles, |
Please Note: Only registered members are able to post messages to this forum. If you are a member, please log in. If you aren't yet a member, join now!
Return to the Roses Forum
Instructions
- You must be a registered member and logged in to post messages on our forums.
- Posting is a two-step process. Once you have composed your message, you will be taken to the preview page. You will then have a chance to review the contents and make changes.
- After posting your message, you may need to refresh the forum page in order to see it.
- It is illegal to post copyrighted material without the owner's consent.
- HTML codes are allowed in the message field only.
- No advertising is allowed in any of the forums.
- If you would like to practice posting or uploading photos, please visit our Test forum.
- If you need assistance, please Contact Us and we will be happy to help.